Automatic oiler for deep well turbine pumps



Oct. 8, 1935. J. M. HAIT 2,016,673

AUTOMATIC OILER FORDEEP WELL TURBINE PUMPS INVEN TOR. Jqmes. M ha/f.

Oct. 8, 1935. HAlT 2,016,673

AUTOMATIC OILER FOR DEEP WELL TURBINE PUMPS Fileg July 25, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Joan. M. Hal/Z.

N s Q55;

a ATTO EY Patented Oct. 8,

UNITED. STAT James Food Machinery Corporation. San Jose, a corporation of Delaware M. Halt, Alhambra, assignor to Cali! Application July 25, 1934, N0. 138,868 1 Claims. (01. 18H) This invention relates to deep well turbine pumps, and is concerned with the provision of an automatic oiling system for lubricating the line shaft bearings of such pumps.

Deep well pumps are commonly supplied with motive power from a pump head .located at or vabove the ground surface and having a prime mover such as an electric motor associated therewith, which drives the pump impellers through the medium of an interconnecting line shaft extending downwardly from the motor into the well through a shaft protective tubing provided with a series of spaced hearings, in which the line shaft is rotatably journalled. These line shaft bearings must be properly lubricated during operation of the pump, although during periods of idleness it is undesirable to maintain the feed of oil to them, not only because of the consequent useless waste of oil, but also because of the frequent attention required to insure that the oil supply does not become exhausted.

The driving motors of such pumps are frequently required to operate continuously over long periods of time, and for this reason provision must be made for cooling them so as to prevent overheating; this ordinarily being accomplished either wholly or in part by the use of a fan or blower associated with the motor for circulating fresh air therearound during operation.

It is the principal object of my invention to utilize the air disturbances produced by the fan of a deep well pump motor for supplying oil to the line shaft bearings by the provision of a suitable oiling system adapted for-operation by such air disturbances.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an oiling system operable by the air disturbances set up by the fan of a deep well pump motor to supply oil to the line shaft bearings during operation of the pump but which will not feed oil to the bearings when the pump is idle.

Another object is to provide an oiling system of the character referred to which is adapted to deliver an excess quantity of oil to the line shaft bearings when the pump is started from rest after a period of idleness.

Additional objects are to provide an oiling system of the nature described which may readily be applied to existing pumps without requiring extensive alteration thereof, and which is simple and inexpensive in construction, as well as effective and reliable in operation.

with such objects in view, as well as others whichwill become more apparent hereinafter,

the invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views. I

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a deep well pump head having a preferred form of oiling syso tem embodying the present invention associated therewith. I

Figure 21s a sectional elevation of the mainparts of the oiling system drawn to a larger scale.

3 is a side elevation, partly in section, 10-

of a modified form of valve actuating mechanism. Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly in section,

V or the device illustrated in Figure 3 as viewed from the left thereof.

Figure 5 illustratesa further modification.

Referring first to Figure l, the pump head 11- lustrated includes a cast metal base or pedestal I upon which is mounted a cylindrical housing 2. Contained within the housing is an electric motor including a stator 3 secured to the housing, and a rotor t mounted upon a hub 5 and keyed to the upper end of the vertical line shaft 6. The hub' may be rotatably supported upon suitable thrust bearings (not shown) carried by a supporting standard I axially disposed within the housing. The rotor l is provided with a series of fan blades 8 which act, during operation of the motor, to draw fresh air into the housing through a central opening 9 in the upper end of the housing, and to blow the air over the motor windings to cool the same, after which the air is discharged from the housing through discharge ports III in the lower portion thereof. The path of the air currents through the housing is indicated in Figure l by the arrows applied thereto. The usual protective bonnet H may be mounted above and in spaced relation to the air inlet opening 9.

The line shaft 6 extends downwardly into the well formed by a well casing I2 and carries the pump impellers (not shown) on its lower end,

which, in operation, pump the liquid up through the discharge column I! for discharge through the elbow pipe I I in the base casting I. The shaft 6 is shielded from the water flowing through the column l3 by a protective tubing I! which carries a series of spaced bearings It, only the upp rmost Of which is illustrated, in which the line shaft is in direct contact with a portion of the discharge indicate the oil level.

voir through any suitable means suchas the usual filling. tube embodying asight glass to visually outlet 20 which, as best seen in Figure 2, communicates with a well 2i within a valve housing 22 by means of a short metal pipe 22 provided with a valve 24 operated by a thumb nut 28 to regulate the maximum rate of oil flow through the pipe. Preferably, the valve 24 is arranged as closely adjacent to the reservoir il as feasible in order to avoid material temperature variations in the oil before it passes through the valve, due to atmospheric temperature variations. It is desirable that a uniform feed of oil be maintained to the bearings regardless of atmospheric temperatures, and by reason of the proximity of the regulating valve 24 to the chilled reservoir l1 and its metal to metal contact therewith the temperature of the oil prior to passing through the regulating valve is not materially aifeeted by atmospheric temperatures.

Screwed into the lower end of the well2l in the valve fitting is a plug 28' provided with an, axial passageway 21 eounterbored as at 28 to provide a valve seat 28 intermediate its length. As the oil flows from the reservoir ll through the pipe 22, well 2i and passageway 21, it passes through a sight glass 28 into the pipe II and is conducted thereby to the upper bearing l8 of the line shaft, from whence it drips downwardly through the protective tubing to lubricate the bearings therebeneath.

The fiow of oilto the line shaft bearings is controlled by a needle valve 22 normally resting upon the valve seat 28 and operable by a piston disc 22 secured to. the upper end of the valve stein as by means of a nut 85. The piston disc 22 loosely fits within the chamber 28 of a cup shaped portion 31 of the valve housing 22 and a cover 28 may be secured thereon to prevent the entrance of dust or dirt.

The upper portion 21 of the valve housing is provided with a secondary. chamber 28 open to the piston chamber 88 and communicates with the interior of the pump head by means of an open ended tube 40 extending through one of the air ports III in the housing 2 and terminating within the housing at a point adjacent the fan blades 8 so as to receive a portion of the air blast therefrom. The air current or pressure created by the fan blades will thereby be transmitted to the underside of the piston disc 22 causing it to lift disc-into the well. An escape port 42 is drilled through the body of the valve housing 22 to vent the well to the atmosphere so that incidental air leakage past the washer 4| may escape without building up pressure within the well such as might prevent or interfere with the flow of oil thereto from the reservoir. I

In order that the piston disc 23 may be responsive quickly and with certainty under the infiuence of the relatively small pressures available, it is important that the construction be such that no sticking or binding will occur. To this end it will be noted that the piston disc is loosely fitted within the chamber 28 and the diameter of the counter-bored portion of the plug 28 is such as to provide a substantial clearance around the needle valve. The washer 4i which forms a cover The reservoir i'l hasanfor the upper end of the well 2i rests freely upon the bottom of the chamber 88 so as to be free to shift thereover. The cover 38 may be provided with ports 43 to prevent entrapment of air above the piston disc which might interfere with its 5 freedom of movement, and preferably the interior diameter of. the cover is made somewhat less than that of the cup shaped portion 21 of the valve fitting, thereby providing an annular ledge 44 which not only limits the upward stroke of the piston disc, but also effectually seals the clearance between the periphery of the disc and the wall of the chamber 28. By this construction, when the piston disc seats against the ledge 44 air leakage-around the edge of the disc is prevented, thus stopping fiow of air through the tube 48 and preventing the delivery of dust or the like into the chamber whereit might collect along the chamber walls and cause the piston to stick or bind. It has been found that the several details of construction mentioned effectively preclude any sticking or binding of the parts under normal operating conditions.

In the operation of the apparatus described, the reservoir I1 is first filled with oil, a portion of whichfiow's through the valve 24 into the well 2| in the valve housing and fills it to a level corresponding with that in the reservoir, escape of the oil through the passage 21 being prevented by the needle valve 22 which is normally held seated by gravity. Upon starting the motor the air pressure or current produced by the fan blade 8 is transmitted through the tube 48 to' the underside of the piston disc 22 and elevates the same, thereby lifting the needle valve oil its seat and permitting the accumulated charge of oil in the well 2| to drain out into the pipe 2| and flow to the line shaft bearings. This small excess charge of oil supplied to the bearings at starting is advantageous, in that they are likely to be 40 more or'less dry at this time, particularly if the pump has been idle for any considerable period and, consequently, require an excess of oil at first. Thereafter, so long as the motor is in operation, oil continuously flows to the line shaft bearings, its maximum rate being governed by the setting of the regulating valve 24. Upon stopping the motor therelease of pressure beneath the piston disc permits the valve 32 to reseat itself, thereby cutting ofl further flow of oil to the bearings until the pump is again started up. In Figures 3 and 4 an alternative form of valve actuating mechanism is illustrated. In this construction the valve housing is made up of a T fitting 48, into the upper end of which is screwed a tube 48 which forms a well 41 therein. Threaded into the lower end of the T fitting is a plug 48 having a passage 48 therethrough and provided with a valve seat '58 at its upper end. A needle valve II is normally'seated upon the valve seat and is actuated by means of a horizontal rock shaft 52 rotatably' journalled in the walls of the tube 48 and having an eccentric portion 82 which cooperates with a set screw 84 carried by a yoke 88 secured to the upper end of the valve stem. 05 Secured to the outer ends of the rock shaft 52 are a pair of blades or vanes 58 arranged directly in front of the discharge ports ill in the housing 2, so that the air discharged through such ports may impinge thereupon. 7 By the arrangement just described it will be seen that when the pump is started up the air currents produced by the motor fan which are discharged through the ports l8 impinge upon the vanes 88,.whereby the latter are caused to rock which theautomatically actuated valve is dispensed with and the oil is fed to the line shaft bearings by transmitting the air pressure in the housing 2 onto the body of oil in the reservoir I! through an opening 6|! in the base of thehousing. In the arrangement illustrated in this figure, the ,oil is conducted directly from the reservoir l'l through pipe connection GI into a well B2 formed by the fitting 63 and the tube 64 screwed into its upper end. Threaded into the lower end of the "r fitting is a drip nozzle 65 having a tubular extension or standpipe 66 formed integral therewith and projecting upwardly and concentrically within the well 62. The length of the standpipe 66 is such that its upper open end is somewhat above the normal oil level in the reservoir, so that normally the oil cannot overflow from the well into the standpipe. During operation of the pump, however, the air pressure created by the motor fan and imposed upon the body of oil in the reservoir causes the oil to rise within the well 62 and overflow into the standpipe 66, from which it is discharged by the nozzle through a sight glass 61 and into the pipe 3|, which conducts it to the line shaft bearings. For regulating the maximum rate of fiow of oil a needle valve 68 is adjustably mounted in a cap 69 fitted over the upper end of the tube 64 and may be adjusted by means of a knurled head 10. A vent 1| may be provided in the tube so as to prevent air locking.

It is believed that the construction and principle of operation of apparatus embodying my invention will be apparent from the foregoing, and it is to be understood that while I have disclosed the invention as the same may be used in connection with a pump head having an electric motor therein, it is not necessarily confined thereto, since it is not essential that a motor be mounted directly within the pump head and other types of power unit might be used in place of an electric motor, as, for example; an internal combustion engine, from which the air for operating the oil system might be taken from the cooling fan thereof. Numerous other variations and modifications may also be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and I deem myself entitled to all such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having now described my invention and in what manner the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft, a bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same, a fan operatively associated with said power unit, and oil supply means actuatable by the air currents set up by said fan to supply oil to said bearing.

2. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft, a bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same, a fan operatively associated with said power unit, oil supply means for feeding oil to said bearing, said oil supply means including means normally prev nting the feed of oil to said bearing, and mea for applying air currents from. said fan to said oil supply means to cause the latter to feed oil to said bear ings.

3. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft, a bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same, a fan operatively associated with said power unit, an oil reservoir,

a conduit for conducting oil from the reservoir to said bearing, a valve normally closing said conduit, and-means operable by air currents set up by said fan for opening said valve to permit oil to flow from the reservoir-to the bearing.

4. In a deep well pump, a pump head including a housing, an electric motor therein, a fan operatively associated with said motor for blowing air through the housing and motor, a vertical line shaft operatively connected with said motor, a

, bearing for said shaft, and oil supply means actuatable by the air currents set up by said fan to supply oil to said bearing.

5. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft, a bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same, a fan operatively associated with said power unit, an oil reservoir, a conduit for conducting oil from the reservoir to said bearing, a 'valve normally closing said conduit, a yieldable pressure responsive device associated with said valve for actuating the same, and means for directing air currents set up by said fan to said pressure responsive device for actuating the latter to open said valve. 6. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft, a bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same, a fan operatively associated with said power unit, an oil reservoir, a conduit for conducting oil from the reservoir to said bearing, a valve housing in said conduit having a well therein for accumulating a quantity of oil and having itsoutlet in the lower portion of said well, a valve normally closing said outlet, and means operable by air currents set up by said fan for opening said valve to permit oil to flow from said well to said bearing. 7. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft, a

bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same, a fan operatively associated with said power unit, an oil reservoir,

a conduit for conducting oil from the reservoir to said bearing, a valve housing in said conduit,

a valve therein, guide means in which said valve is loosely mounted to prevent binding of the valve therewith, a piston chamber, a piston loosely mounted therein and connected to said valve, and means for transmitting air current set up by said fan to said piston chamber for actuating the piston to lift the valve from its'seat and permit oil to flow through said conduit from the reservoir to the line shaft bearing. 8. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft, a bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same, a fan operatively associated with said power unit, an oil reservoir, a conduit for conducting oil from the reservoir to said bearing, a valve'housing in said conduit, a valve therein, a piston chamber, a piston mounted therein and connected tosaid valve, means for transmitting air currents set up by said fan to said piston chamber for actuating the piston to 7 lift the valve from its seat and permit oil to flow through said conduit from the reservoir to the line shaft bearing, and an annular seal in said chamber engageable with the periphery of said piston'at one end of its stroke to prevent air leakage therearound when the piston seats against the seal.

9. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft, a

bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same, a fan operatively associated with said power unit, an oil reservoir, and means for conductng oil from the reservoir to said bearing and including means normally feed it through said oil conducting means to the line shaft bearing;

10. In a deep well pump, a vertical line shaft,-

a bearing therefor, a power unit associated with said shaft for driving the same. a tan operatively associated with said power unit, an oil reservoir, means tor conducting oil from the reservoir to said bearing over a path extending above the level or oil in the reservoir, and means for admitting the discharge from said fan into the reservoir to impose air pressure upon the oil therein and- 

